Conventional film and more recently, digital cameras, are widely commercially available, ranging both in price and in operation from sophisticated single lens reflex (SLR) cameras used by professional photographers to inexpensive “point-and-shoot” cameras that nearly anyone can use with relative ease. Digital cameras are available with user interfaces that enable a user to select various camera features (e.g., ISO speed and red-eye removal). Some camera systems also allow the user to add creative effects (e.g., sepia tones, borders, etc.) to their photographs
Little is commercially available for allowing the user to create images from their photographs that appear as line drawings or “sketches” of the scene being photographed. Although photo-editing algorithms have been developed to create so-called “cartoon” effects, these are fairly sophisticated, requiring extensive processing power, and therefore are only suitable for use on computer systems. Digital camera users would need to download their photos to a personal computer (PC) to use the software before they can add such creative effects to their digital images.